Canada Job Growth Surprises

By

Nirmala Menon

Jan. 4, 2013 10:52 a.m. ET

OTTAWA—The Canadian economy added almost eight times more jobs than expected in December, driving the unemployment rate down unexpectedly to a four-year low, which will likely keep intact the central bank's mildly hawkish bias on interest rates.

A total of 39,800 net new jobs were created--all full-time and primarily in the private sector--marking the fourth outsized gain in five months, including 59,300 in November, Statistics...